Portable warning lamp



y 5,1959 J. A. MCDERMOTT 2,885,539

PORTABLE WARNING LAMP Filed June 14, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JUL/AN fl. MCDfK/WWT I y 1959 J. A. MODERMOTT I 2,885,539

PORTABLE WARNING LAMP 4 Filed June 14, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. JUA MW 6. Mcflf/WO]? A TTORA E Y.

United States Patent PORTABLE WG LAMP Julian A. McDermott, Corona, N.Y.

Application June 14, 1955, Serial No. 515,483

1 Claim. (Cl. 240-53) This invention relates broadly to portable warning lamps, and more particularly to a lamp which may be carried to its destination and there placed either upon a horizontal support, secured to a barricade or mounted upon an upright.

When road excavation work or other emergency work is performed, operators of vehicles as well as pedestrians are warned of a defect in the road by the presence of warning lamps, usually containing flasher units. Lamps now commonly used for this purpose have many disadvantages. It is not possible for a worker behind a lamp to be certain that the lamp is in good working condition without leaving his work and going to the front of the lamp to observe its effective operation; lamps are commonly equipped for positioning upon the ground only, and they are not readily mounted and dismounted.

With this in view, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a warning lamp which may selectively be placed upon the ground, removably secured to a barricade, or partly suspended from and partly positioned upon an upright.

It is a further feature of the present invention to provide means whereby the effective operation of the lamp can be observed by a worker behind the lamp.

And a yet further aim of the present invention resides in the provision of one or more compartments in the battery box of the lamp wherein one or more spare bulbs may be stored for use whenever needed.

And a still further aim of the present invention resides in the provision of a'portable emergency lamp of this character comprising essentially a battery containing box, and a lamp head removably mounted thereon, the box being adapted to be suspended from an upright such as a tripod in such manner that the battery box will be suspended near the base of the tripod over one of its legs and the lamp will be mounted atop the tripod.

Yet a further aim of the present invention resides in the provision of means for so suspending the battery box on the tripod, that the tripod will obtain maximum balance when the box is suspended thereon.

These and other meritorious aims and advantages, which will become more fully apparent as the description hereof proceeds, are attained by the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described, and illustrated on the accompanying drawings, constituting a material component of this disclosure, and in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a portable emergency lamp constructed in accordance with the present invention, the lamp head being mounted on the battery box.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the lamp illustrated in Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view of the switch for the lamp.

Figure 4 is a rear view of the lamp in extended position, the lamp head being mounted upon an upright.

Patented May 5, 1959 Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the lamp secured to a barricade.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view showing the lamp mounted upon a tripod and the battery box suspended over one of the legs of the tripod.

Figure 7 illustrates diagrammatically the relative positions of the battery box and the tripod legs.

Figure 8 shows diagrammatically the way of suspending the battery box on the tripod.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings, the numeral 10 refers broadly to the portable emergency lamp of the present invention, which comprises broadly a battery box 11 and a lamp head 12. Lamp head 12 comprises a reflector box 15 having a rim 14 in which is held a lens 13. Positioned over the outer edge of the reflector box 15 is an arcuately curved sun hood l6 surrounding substantially one half of the reflector box, and secured to the reflector box near its rim by a plurality of spaced apart screws 17 in such manner that the sun hood is spaced from the rim 14 of the reflector box 15, as is shown at 34 in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the spacers whereby the space 34 is provided being illustrated at 18. Clamp 19 having an opening for the passage of a screw or other retaining means therethrough holds the rim about the edge of the lens.

Locked in battery box 11 through an opening in its cover is a coil cord 20 preferably provided with a rubber cover. Battery box 11 is further provided with a hingedly secured handle 21, the handle having two ends, each of the said ends being secured to opposite sides of the battery box 11 by screws 23 or otherwise, there being provided a spacer 22 between each handle end and each screw or other retaining means 23.

Located upon the battery box, here being illustrated as being located on the cover of the battery box is a switch guard 24 whereby the switch handle 31 is protected. Extending upwardly from the cover of battery box 11 is a hollow tubular socket 25 the purpose of which will presently be more fully described. Also pointed on the cover of battery box llll may be a battery condition indicator 26 if desired. Extending through tubular socket 25 may be a set screw 27 to removably retain therein one end of tube 28, the other end of which is secured by soldering or otherwise to a plate 45 extending across the outer face of reflector box 15, the plate being retained in its adjusted position by set screws 46 or otherwise. Extending transversely across tube 28 is a pin 29, its protruding ends adapted to be entered into slots 30 extending from the edge of tubular socket 25 downwardly at opposite sides thereof, whereby the inward movement of the tube 28 into socket 25 is limited. Extending outwardly from substantially the center of battery box 11 is a substantially U-shaped bracket, and therebeneath is a screw 33, the purpose of both of which will presently become more fully apparent.

The warning lamp of the present invention may be used in connection with a tripod. The tripod broadly referred to by the numeral 61 comprises an upper tube 64 and a lower tube 62 into which upper tube 64 is adapted to telescope. The lower tube 62 may be provided with a set screw 63, whereby to releasingly retain tube 64 in tube 62. The upper end of tube 64 may be provided with a socket 65 and warning flag supports 66, each for the staif 67 of warning flags 68.

Tripod 61 has a socket 74 at its base from which emanate three legs 73 and 73a hingedly connected to socket 74. The socket is adapted to receive one end of tube 62. Tube 62 may be provided with a slanting cutout 75 extending partially therethrough for a purpose which will presently become more fully apparent.

Battery box 11 may be provided with a substantially cup-shaped recess 77, the diameter of which is substantially equal to the diameter of a bulb used in connection with a flasher unit. Recess 77 may be lined with a resilient material, such as rubber 76, recess 77 serving as a receptacle for a spare bulb the screw socket 79 of which extends to nearly the edge of the recess 77. The warning lamp is used in the following manner: The warning lamp, which is preferably an intermittently flashing lamp, is carried or otherwise transported to its destination. If it is intended to be placed upon the ground, it will stand erect upon the base of battery box 11 in an obvious manner. A spare bulb is entered into the recess provided for that purpose. If it is desired to replace the batteries in the box, the box 11 is opened by the removal of screws 33, so that access to the interior of the box may be had. If a bulb is to be replaced, plate 45 is removed from the rear of reflector box 15 whereby access to the interior of the reflector box may be had. If it is desired to suspend the lamp on a barricade at an excavation 51, an opening is provided in the barricade into which bracket 32 is placed. A padlock or other retaining device may be entered into. the bracket, so that the lamp will remain in adjusted position.

When it is desired to use the warning lamp of the present invention in connection with the tripod illustrated in the drawings, the legs of the tripod are separated and the uprights extended in a conventional manner. Handle 21 of battery box 11 is then entered into slot 75 to suspend the box. The slot 75 is so arranged that box 11 will be suspended directly over one of the legs of the tripod, so that the tripod will attain maximum stability because of the weight of the box 11. Screw 27 may then be turned to permit the disengagement of tube 28 from socket 125. Coil cord 20, one end of which is anchored to the inside of tube 28 permits the extension of the lamp head so that tube 28 may be entered into' tube 64 of the tripod.

Inasmuch as the reflector box 15 is made of a nontransparent material, such as metal, it is not normally possible for a person working behind the lamp to determine whether the flasher light is operating properly by a person working behind, such as for instance, a person working in excavation 51. For that reason, space 34 is provided between the sun hood 16 and the reflector box 15. This space makes it possible for a halo of light to be visible from behind the lamp whenever the intermittent flashing ot the bulb takes place.

Lamp head 70 in Figure 6 may be held atop the tube 64 in another manner. Instead of sockets 65 and 66,

tube 64 may be provided with a pair of oppositely arranged apertures. A flag stafi 67 may be placed into each of the said openings, the flag staffs serving as stops for the tube 28 of the lamp head.

The lamp head may be removed from the tripod and placed upon battery box 11 in an obvious and simple manner.

Thus there has been shown and described a simple yet highly effective portable warning lamp in the preferred forms of its embodiment. Many modifications are apparent and others will become apparent from use. For instance, the several steps described in connection with the use of the device need not be taken in the exact order described; tube 28 may be lengthened considerably, so as to constitute a long upright instead of a short tube and more than one recess for more than one spare bulb may be provided in the battery box.

It is to be understood therefore that the present disclosure is to be regarded as illustrative and descriptive of the best known forms of the invention and not as limitative or restrictive to the exact details shown, applicant reserving the right to make such changes in the construction of his device as may come within the scope of the appended claim without thereby departing either from the spirit or the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent, is:

A Warning lamp of the character described comprising the combination with a tripod; of a battery box, a handle pivotally secured to said battery box, a recess directly over one of the legs of the tripod in which said handle is removably engaged, a cover on said battery box, a single directional lamp including a reflector,- a sun hood spaced above and from said reflector whereby stray rays of light are reflected rearwardly when the lamp is in operation, a coil cord having one of its ends secured to said battery box, the other end of saidgcoil cord secured to said reflector, a tubular socket member extending upwardly on said battery box cover, a hollow tube extending normally downwardly from said reflector, said hollow tube entered in said socket member when said reflector is engaged upon said battery box, and said tube disengaged from said socket member and entered in the upright of the tripod when said reflector is positioned on the tripod. 1

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,092,450 Perkins Apr. 7, 1914 1,096,381 Lokerse May 12, 1914 1,170,012 Smith Feb. 1, 1916 1,542,575 Perry June 16, 1925 1,559,481 Voorhees Oct. 27, 1925 1,566,119 Reed Dec. 15, 1925 1,639,600 Frierson Aug. 16, 1927 1,924,101 Batrack et a1. Aug. 29, 1933 2,165,562 Mack et a1. July 11, 1939 2,171,349 Wiley Aug. 29, 1939 2,205,860 Olds June 25, 1940- 2,210,3l2 Wood Aug. 6, 1940 2,286,685 Moxley June 16, 1942 2,648,761 Shamel Aug. 11, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 402,952 Great Britain Dec. 14, 1933 

